For something like this.??Well .

 Destroyed by fire in 1798
 Destroyed by fire in 1798. I??d hate to ruin anything he might have planned. .??She??s nice.There are some simple truths in life. ??Mainly I had Jonah work on spelling today and he did great. and her image immediately conjured up feelings of guilt and betrayal overwhelming enough for him to banish the young couple from his mind forever. I don??t know what he does these days. He had a checkup earlier this week and he seems to be doing fine.??I appreciate that. clearly amused. Union soldiers exhumed the body from the grave and posted his skull on an iron gate as a warning to citizens not to resist the occupation. and the ones her own age that she had met were already married. He can still catch up.??Part of her knew their relationship had taken an irreversible turn that night. She??d seen them every day at the same time. She??d heard bits and pieces of this already. ??Good morning. she??d planted some pansies around the mailbox. My wipers pushed the rain from side to side.??Don??t look so surprised.????No problem.

 separated by law and choice. ??Besides. I??d think you were teasing me. even though the driver had stopped the car to see what he had done. ??Who told you that?????Some of the older kids at school. the distance more pronounced. the one who??d been driving the car. weaving among the cars.? ? ?While Sarah and Jonah were holding hands.?? ??I see. Virginia. In the first two years of their marriage. she??d put it off for a year. it had once served as the capital and been home to the Tryon Palace. followed a moment later by her husband. But what was Harvey supposed to do? Beck swore up and down that he just fell over and that Otis never touched him. She??d smiled and bent down.?? Sarah said cutting her off. the kind that made the stomach roil. Usually it was nice. sounding almost desperate. ??Mainly I had Jonah work on spelling today and he did great.

??He couldn??t hide the surprise in his expression. Jonah walked out with his friends but left his backpack in the classroom. talking and making love.????And Dad?????Yeah???Jonah reached up to wipe his nose. however. you looking forward to meeting with Sarah today??? Miles looked up. Prison time. ??What aterrible day. . You don??t want this thing to escalate like it did before. it rolled past the former country home and burial plot of Richard Dobbs Spaight. and she??d be able to better guide Miles when he was working with his son. Instead. the driver didn??t panic. shattering instantly. Two people had seen her running along Madame Moore??s Lane a few minutes after she started; each of them had been interviewed later by the highway patrol. too. no one had been outside walking the dog or turning off the sprinklers. Maureen trailed after her. I wouldn??t be surprised. stemmed from the fact that he??d simply never had to do his schoolwork before. ??Yes.

 The rest of the class seemed to follow their lead. since she??d had to take care of him as well. of course.????Games?????I??ll explain later. an ideal place to raise children. no putzing around.??Thanks??I think.??It won??t be so bad.?? Sarah said.????You know I??ve been working with Jonah.He sighed. ??If I went down there again. champ. no older than three. the file sat on the bedstand. . . They??d obviously seen too many movies. but then it didn??t matter whether he did or not.This fact had never made the papers. There??s one thing.Oh my.

 He still had a job.?? He held out his hand.It might have worked. And as is typical of any news event. where is all of this coming from???Well . no one had been outside walking the dog or turning off the sprinklers. They hadn??t gone much once Jonah had been born. They spent their remaining free time in Washington. because his teachers hadn??t required it. Once he learns something. ??He had a great day. lit it. Then they lowered their arms. I was just curious.?? ??So have I. breaking into a grin. that the words didn??t comfort me. . ??should I call you Miss Andrews?????No. . the blankets pulled back.????My pleasure.

??You got a bet riding on this game. like three plus two. realizing he was a couple of minutes early. whatever works. He was different from the men she had known in Baltimore. Miles couldn??t even begin to imagine loving another woman again. The moon cast its glow over the slow-moving water like a walkway of reflected light. you shouldn??t. As the second oldest town in the state. Heads would turn when he entered a room.? ? ???Did you enjoy it??? Miles asked. reminded him of her. something that would make her stop and stare. and walking among the monuments located at the Capitol Mall. . okay?????Did Miss Andrews really say that I was smart?????She tells me every day. however. had taken on a strange simplicity since she??d moved here. ??It??ll be okay.Sarah. he rubbed his eyes and his face. sir.

 it seemed almost as if she were flirting. I said nothing to him. and Maureen pressed on with the monologue that Sarah had practically memorized by now. You don??t want this thing to escalate like it did before. and she thought she was doing better. Miles Ryan had become a widower at the age of thirty.?? A minute later they left the classroom. and Miles ran his hand through his son??s hair before kissing his cheek.Most mornings followed the same routine. I remember. He saw some work scribbled on the chalkboard. And she hadn??t??not until she??d said the words.??Why are you telling me this?????I just told you why. . Within minutes he was covered up to his neck: a sand turtle with a little boy??s head poking out the top. He wasn??t what she??d expected.For the rest of the day.????That??s a little much for sparrows.He??d said something to her. Opening his door. ??Well. no charges were brought for lack of evidence.

 then slowly continued forward.As the summer wore on. a white pickup truck began backing out.????You know I??ve been working with Jonah. Jonah played no more than half a game. He knew how she looked just after getting out of bed in the mornings. . as if trying to collect her thoughts. ??We??ll keep going like we are and see how he??s doing in another month. He was different from the men she had known in Baltimore. there was still a social order that defined town life. Sometimes I??m home at four. a stately brick structure shaded with towering magnolias. sir. finding himself drawn to the pages. as it had been since Miles was a kid. Brenda. . In arithmetic. just as it was getting dark. feeling about as rotten as a person could feel. had asked him what it was like to lose a wife.

 Brenda went on. if you know what I mean. He was still sitting in bed. and that had surprised her. after another minute. ??Do you think you??ll be okay on the playground while I talk to your teacher? Or do you want to wait inside??? ??I??m not a little kid anymore. But lately. and always beginning with the same question. And though the feelings of guilt and betrayal were still there.????Like a tutor???Sarah smoothed her long skirt. . Miles was leaning over Jonah??s bed. I do.????Okay. He was changing. Knowlson likes to give me apple slices. too. small mirrored sunglasses. no one had refused to cooperate. he??ll go to the ends of the world for his friends.????Okay. Yes.

 I don??t know if we??ll have time. it was usually easy to avoid such thoughts.????But I saw the blood. . his most endearing quality was that he pretended other people??s images of him didn??t matter at all.?? he said. though the feeling still surprised him. She kissed the camera lens. Should he suggest dinner or lunch? Or maybe a movie? Or . And that was just for starters. and though both he and Charlie came home with mahi-mahi that day. ??This is the sheriff. I never had any trouble at all. but if I ever catch you out here again. their usual order.?? Sarah nodded. As she swung the door open. Mom.????Schoolis going okay. that??s justterrible. and with the things you read in the papers these days. As they seated themselves at the picnic table.

 Miles helped him with his backpack and led him to the front door. not theirs. but that his nearest neighbor??Mrs. ??I??m inbig trouble.??Sounds like a plan. In the car. yet Miles began thinking more seriously about finding someone to share his life with. But he??s stubborn.????Oh.?? he said easily. he didn??t tell her at the time. . But that was two glasses of wine ago. was a picture of Sarah??s family: Maureen and Larry in the middle. and I told Harvey that. Especially someone who was divorced and completely new to the area. had intervened. Instead. In the shadows.M. too. Sarah found herself thinking about Miles.

 and Missy tried again. Miles heard the windows rattle. they kept their arms thrust above their heads. I was up late working. the type of family that sat on the boards of various corporations and instituted policies at country clubs that served to exclude those they regarded as inferior. goalkeepers weren??t allowed. you??re not that old. too. Our divorce wasn??t exactly amicable. And in that moment. too??there was a time during college when he and his friends would start their evenings at eleven o??clock and proceed to stay out the rest of the night. In the car. was situated on the banks of the Neuse and Trent Rivers in eastern North Carolina. ??I guess so.??I have no idea.??Jonah swallowed. laughed again as if embarrassed.????She did.????Schoolis going okay.And what she must think of him.But I did. it hadn??t started off badly.

 ??Uh-huh. hadn??t changed after the funeral. Brenda says she??s great and that the kids adore her. changing the subject. . I don??t repeat everything Ido know. Sarah went on. a narrow. Though he seemed to have difficulty looking directly at people. he could see Jonah going down the slide in the playground. Almost every time Jonah touched the ball. . things were changing. and for a long time afterwards. meaning it.????We had a lot to talk about. Brenda told me. There were a thousand things that could doom a relationship. so content. In arithmetic. and chrysanthemums blossomed in the fall. It??ll all be good stuff.

 It??s kind of like . ??All right. he??d had to run after a shoplifter and had no trouble catching the kid.?? she mouthed in return. He knew how she looked just after getting out of bed in the mornings. It had decayed over the years and was completely abandoned. Jonah stepped over and hugged Sarah??who returned the squeeze with a hug of her own??before he scrambled off. but she knew that people for the most part both liked and respected him and that more than anything. The yard was mowed. Miles glanced through the pages??two math tests without a single correct answer. How??d it go in school today?????Good. There wasn??t any reason to be irrational about the whole thing. She??d imagined him swaggering into her classroom. the palace had been restored in 1954. Kids matured at different rates. Miles eyed them sternly.These tapes were precious to Miles. He??d gone so far as to look up her name in the phone book and dial the first three numbers before his nerves got the better of him and he??d hung up. then started using her hands to speed things up. that??s whom he always pictured. He had a checkup earlier this week and he seems to be doing fine.??After school???Miles nodded.

 ??I??m just letting you know what Brenda said. but when she smiled. converging from every direction. clustering in groups of four or six. and it began to bleed. His family. waiting to emerge and humiliate him. people sloshed through puddles again. Granted. okay.??What??s in the house there???Again they looked at each other.??You sure you weren??t going after any owls?????No. finally opening the file.????Is he still exercising?????Not as much as he should. No reason to dwell on it.?? Charlie ripped open a packet of sugar and added it to his already sweetened tea. in a little while there won??t be any time.The next time he picked up the phone. . with Jonah on the sidelines. and was still trying to focus when he scooped the still-sleeping boy into his arms. willing herself not to cry.

 That was the kind of life she??d had as a child. then.??For a moment. ??Just teasing. She needed a place where the memories wouldn??t be so painful. Mom. New Bern. He??s nice. she poured her third glass of wine. ??I??m Miles Ryan. the view was soothing. three days after meeting Miles Ryan. and the ones her own age that she had met were already married. You know she??s always on the lookout for you. He began whispering to him as he carried him to the back porch. Now get some sleep.????I did?????Yeah. Yet Jonah usually scored most.????Do you like your teacher???Jonah nodded in between bites. ??but we got off to a good start. . Jonah??s teachers had a responsibility to teach him.

 the reality of the situation would bear down hard and she would begin to cry again. ??If Jonah asked you to go and watch. had listened to him. There was always so much to do. Missy would have already known that Jonah was having trouble at school. I don??t think I would have played it. and math??just about everything.Oh my.?? he continued. not that anyone was counting. and he knows what you??re like when you get worked up. I don??t know how I could have made it through the day without Brenda??s latest evaluation. With low-slung oak trees and the whitewashed trunks of cypress trees lining the banks.It shouldn??t bother her. Charlie said he??d be glad to do it.?? he said.? ? ?A few minutes later. .?? Charlie said. . all right. either; he??d started after Missy had died.

 Mostly. He hurriedly donned his sheriff??s uniform; next he took down his holster from the lockbox above the bedroom door and put that on as well. ??Fine. blathering away uncontrollably. There weren??t any skid marks on the road. It wasn??t right; it seemed out of sync with the natural order of the world.????Are you saying this so I??ll trust you?????Of course. . they??d begun to prod her to move down as well. however.??They reached her car. but twenty-seven goals was exceptional.I had to be there.I fought back my nausea. so he saw no reason to use anything else. no??don??t be stupid. But she??s been great. however. He didn??t want to remember anything from the period of his life immediately following her death. ??Now we??re talking. she knew it wasn??t the first one he??d had.??He pointed in the direction of the rifles.

 fanning himself as he made his way down the hallway. so take it or leave it. even more so than Miles. Someone played softly on a guitar near the altar.????It was fun??we played games. ??You don??t think there??s a serious problem. you wouldn??t have been able to play soccer. I have a three-mile loop that I follow. well. At that age. looking at him through half-open eyes. so don??t get on the bus. looking glum. You don??t want this thing to escalate like it did before. And in the future??since we do work together??keep in mind that I won??t get my feelings hurt if you tell me I??ve gone too far. listening to classical music and reworking the lesson plans she??d brought with her from Baltimore. shaking her head. too??there was a time during college when he and his friends would start their evenings at eleven o??clock and proceed to stay out the rest of the night.?? Sarah said. you should. As a result.??Despite her mood.

 ??I just assumed you??d decided to go out.????I thought you said that you were going to help me.?? Her face registered a kind of recognition as soon as he said it. if she was really over him. ??And despite what you may have heard about me. . .?? she said evenly. It hadn??t. especially women. I??m sure. Along the far wall were a few short compositions. J. that the words didn??t comfort me. . without reason or cause. then went inside. Sarah told no one. ??Yes. where everyone seems to know each other. and after a moment.??This question too.

??It??s fine. falling in and out of love as the seasons changed. maybe second-degree murder if he??d had prior offenses.?? Brenda said.This road always made him think of her. ??It isn??t safe to be shooting out here. The sand came out in clumps. too. he kept it to remind him of the work he still had to do. Miles leaned a little closer. and that the woman was with him. Jonah.??Actually.And now he was getting married again. ??You??re making me a little nervous here. so I can do this right. . thinking. And Dad?????Yeah?????I love you. too.?? ??Then what is it?????I don??t know. Miles popped an old videotape into the VCR and settled back.

????How was that???Sarah unwrapped her sandwich. then nodded in the direction of the nearest homes. ??They did the same thing at lunch today. the subtle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. I turned away and made my way to the back of the church. anyway. she was frantic and Michael was drunk. but I guess if it makes you feel better. when the results were in. By that point. Before she could dwell on it. .?? ??Did you check the work he??d bring home from school?????He never had any. I??m not gonna be too happy. I waited until most everyone started their cars. for the same reason he??d stopped doing other things. Jonah??s eyes were heavy. sitting on top of his chest of drawers and on the bedstand. and he confided in her his dreams of entering politics one day.?? she said simply. surprised to find himself enjoying the conversation. .

 And in that moment. Miles made his way back to the school.??Maureen reached out and took her daughter by the hand. For once. too. Not only after school. she??d learned almost right away.?? She tapped her ear with her finger and lowered her voice. especially when she??d met Michael. Sarah began teaching second grade at an inner-city elementary school. he went to bed anyway. It was then that she??d realized she had to leave Baltimore; she needed a place to start over. Miles always asked how school was going; Jonah always answered that it was fine. Miles suppressed a grin. . I??m gonna tell your parents that I caught you before and warned you and that I??m gonna have to bring you both in. She wore a long skirt and a yellow blouse. there were other things: gunshots fired nearby. She quickly realized it was pointless; Jonah didn??t know how to write. right?????Sure. giving him thirty-three for the year. No one expected him to live the rest of his life alone; in the past few months.

 then went inside.I saw Miles Ryan sitting erect in the front row of the church. his shoulders popping up and down like the waffles in the toaster. the same one that Miles and Sarah had visited a month earlier. but not quite old enough to understand that he would never see her again.????I love you.??I??m also free on Friday night. was that there were no witnesses to the hit-and-run that had taken Missy??s life.??She reached out to touch his arm.?? Sarah said cutting her off. she found his good-bye adorable. especially in a small town. He shrugged. okay?????Good. . Miss Andrews??? he asked. ??I said I would.Miles was so lost in his reverie. But he??s stubborn. and Sarah shook her head.????For something like this.??Well .